The present invention is directed to a hold-down clip for holding panels of a suspended ceiling system characterized by the clip having a U-shaped configuration with a bight portion which interconnects two legs having teeth and each of the legs has a foot portion for engaging the panel and holding it on flanges of inverted T-members or runners.
Hold-down clips for holding panels or tiles in a suspended ceiling system are known. U.S. Pat. No. 3,565,473 discloses a hold-down clip which is stamped out of a sheet metal and has a planar, U-shaped configuration with each of the legs having inwardly directed teeth for engaging a bead of a runner while the legs each terminate in feet for engaging the top surface of a panel to hold it on a flange of the runner. However, because of the resilient nature of the interconnecting portion, the sheet metal clip can twist on the runner, which has proven unsatisfactory.
U.S. Pat. 4,027,454, discloses a sheet metal clip, which is bent into a U-shape with a bight portion connecting two leg portions. Each of the leg portions has teeth, which have been cut and sheared out along the edges of the legs for digging into a portion of a runner as the clip holds the panels on the flanges of the runner. However, these teeth only make a point contact and, thus, have not proven completely satisfactory.
Another type of clip is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,580,387. This clip is a plastic clip having a U-shape with the internal surfaces of the legs being provided with teeth or ribs, and the exterior of each of the legs of the U-shaped clip being provided with flanges for engaging or holding down the panel.